Her touch doesn't mean she loves me
My touch doesn’t mean I don’t
I don’t know if I’ll ever say I’ll stay to the end
Because I don’t know now what I knew then

I’m ready to walk on down the hill
I’m tired of climbing mountains
I don’t want to try that hard anymore
I can get the feeling walking in penny fountains

I don’t know if you think about waking up like I do
I want you to turn to me with the same thoughts in mind
Sometimes I think you do but it’s complicated being true
I don’t think enough about why I’m losing you

I’m ready to drive my car just up the road
I’m tired of flying around when life is all around me
I know how poor they are all the way over there
But there are people suffering the same right here

I don’t want someone to find my empty broken plane
The island grows all around except what you hang on to
Somebody wonders what you were thinking back then
You want to tell them you really tried to stay to the end

I’m ready to talk if you are
I decided you’d either like me or you won’t
I know how to be nice but I can’t worry about who I am
You’re so beautiful but time will tell if I’m your kind of man

I looked up to the sky
Only to see the stars were gone
In their place was God's hand
Revealing the painting that was drawn

It's his land
Not mine

My eyes were opened
Even as they remained closed
Suddenly God's hand was gone
And Earth's pain was exposed

It's our pain
Or is it his?

I looked down
And saw my devices
My hands were holding
A book with blank pages

It's my life
I have no answers

How can I be sure?
Upon confusion I depend
Searching the mind of another
Do you know my friend?

It's his land
Not ours

Give me your hand
Show me God's love
I open my hand
Inside a dove

Is it an illusion?
Or is it real?

Is it true that we cannot learn as we age
from the mistakes of our own lust?
No matter the hurt, we continue onward,
gazing upon life, yet not seeing our place;
only expecting to lead all whom we crushed

The pure spirit that we once were
has finally turned to dust;
before we search for ourselves, we cry
And though we are not insane,
we will soon be taught by those we trust

It  is because why we cry
that we lose our sense of touch
The world around us is for the taking, yet
we only know of our own pain; but who
will teach just enough instead of too much?

What shadows live in remorse except
that which we cast as the judge?
It is the pain we are born into we cast off,
but the receptacle is always another man
who must suffer a baby’s eternal grudge

I saw the borders, they were open
Open for the huddled masses
I saw the sunny rain, trying to help
If it’s still true, why do I smell burning ashes?

I’m beginning to grieve, is it a just life?
I want a heart full of gladness
Is there a way to know how,
Is it mixed with too much sadness?

I drew a face in the sand; it washed away
We were all young once,
We don’t need the ocean to remind us
The wistful world lives inside the conchs

I wonder who can make me see
I already know, a bridge crosses my mind
It wasn’t a trick or a politic
Her hand was outstretched to mine

I saw the borders, they're still open
The birds fly over, following the sun
And the poor are still walking
Away from the gloom, towards God’s son

Usted piensa
demasiado como una raza
y no como un humano
porque era incapaz de aceptar
palabras españolas
de la piel blanca.

If you have a moment
That's what I am
If you are strong
Then so am I
If you have no questions
I am the answer
If you only need a smile
Nobody will ask why

We don’t think too much
‘cause we don’t know
We say something too far
then let it go
There’s always tomorrow
if we give it some attention too
It could be, but maybe not
there’s no promises,
but I like chances is anyway
it’s better than knowing I lost you

You wouldn’t come inside my house
it makes you think about giving in
You stayed out on the lawn
you don’t like to think were you’ve been
I don’t want to remind you,
you’ve heard every promise that there is
I’m gonna’ leave you alone
even if it means wondering what went wrong
still I know you almost came home
being on your mind is where I belong

I hate listening to that song
It sounds like something I once knew
how come so many people live like that
nobody likes old, just something new
I could never make you feel it
that happened a long time ago
it’s easy for you to shrug your shoulders
I once told you things, now you heard it before
I wonder why it has to be somebody else
loving you this long should mean something more

If I knew I was dying
I know what I would say to you
There would be no promises
Only words I know to be true

I could think of life after death
Or of dying after living
Which one would mean more
If it was to you the eulogy was giving?

Sometimes it seems so close
But only when I think of you
We gave each other a chance
Now you're on to someone new

I remember every kiss
Now it's something I can't find
Did you give them all away
Or did you just leave them behind?

If I knew I was dying
I would know what to say
I would be so honest
And you would live for today

My reaction at seeing you for the first time
was like blowing up a dam; the water pouring
out in a wave of destruction, quickly filling the
shallow channel that had been dug, not expecting
such a wonderous natural disaster

I knew I would lose part or all of you if I didn’t
dig deeper into the earth; bloodying my hands,
gasping for breath so as not to lose a moment
of your beauty or share it with another wanderer
waiting to swim upstream for your love

You allowed the force of your existence to crush
my life beyond all recognition while your worries
waited patiently, drifting slowly behind the deluge,
hoping not to be noticed while my senses exploded
into a thousand pieces

You denied me my breath, my sight, my thoughts,
my self-control; there was nothing I could do
except become the rapids themselves, no matter
the rocks or sudden current changes that made
my prior life no more than a tree torn from it's roots

I'm nothing
If only a faint sound
An echo
Of past glory
Vanishing
As time races by
It is no longer
My time
Or my place
Only a song
Exists
One of complete
Loss
Playing over and over
Until
You smiled
A stranger
With a gift
Of life
Thank you
You made me live
Again

All you see is darkness
You thought there was no life
But light is unnecessary
Not even to know me

I asked you to get closer
It’s more honest that way
Our bodies are so close
But I want what I cannot see

You may think I’m hiding
Instead I’m beckoning
Like stars standing aside
Or God parting the sea

As long as a moment
As short as a lifetime
My eyelash touching yours
A kiss is what we will be

Passion is violent but not durable
And once the race has been run
What is left but contemplation
Vast and fertile
Horizons always beckoning
A test of true love
Loyalty and devotion
To a promise that has cooled
As does beauty of the flesh
Yet the fire of life remains
As does inner warmth
The love of the heart aches
And taking its place
Is the love of virtue
Enduring strength of the spirit
Like a lighthouse across the sea
Guiding those who wish to cross
To live within its purpose
Of a life never consumed with the end
But instead with how it is lived
Remembering the days when passion set its sails
And the winds of loving you cast their spell

What the tears of a man say
Even though you saw it
You couldn't believe
He believes something different
But what he felt at that moment
Was alive inside the mother of a dead child

You don't like the answers
And you don't what to feel them either
Like a poor hungry child
Who is taught something different
Something that cannot be proven
Just like the things we believe

Maybe we should decide
In the moment we make love
Or when we have been pushed too far
Or have lost someone we love
Is that the moment to decide?
Or is it the moment we should ignore?

Would you say that it is fear
That makes you question their love
For their children or their race
What would you say that it is
That makes you fear for the freedom
That has already been taken from them?

I dared to be happy for so long
Now I'm almost afraid to smile
I wonder if it's time for me to pay
For when I laughed all the while
Nobody told me how to get old
It seems my body knows what to do
My Daddy has the same problems
He's been through all of this too

     now it's my turn
     you never think this day will come
     then it's here
     your entire life in an instant

I know hard times are waiting for us
It's something money can't solve
I guess the glory days are in the past
Now it's time to face deaths resolve
I think I'm gonna have to move him in
Soon he won't know who I am
He say's it's my responsibility
Taking care of a parent is part of being a man

Here we start again
Looking into the same cup
Once so full
We assumed it was gone
But the dust said
Brush me off and start again

If there is one place to live
It would be a forest
On a night like this
Lost from the world
Shadows and moonlight
No day could be like this night

We’re about freedom
We aren’t thieves
Taking life from one another
We know who we are
The characters are the same
But the story changes

I don’t want to live like a shadow
Blinding darkness
We can be sad but not for long
A film noir
Black and white seems so real
But colors are what we feel

I just don't know
I can only think about how it makes me feel

I will never know the word numb again

What is more raw than going there?
Let's go there

I want to think about IT

You giving your storms to another bird
You giving your oceans to another ship

They can only survive you

The dark separates the light from itself
But the dark is how to find the light
It always happens before the light
Like a porch waiting for the sun to dry itself off
You have to walk through it
You can't turn back
Time never does
The earth rotates the same way

North is north until the curve makes it south

Dark is dark
Until it's not

Because what happened, happened
You already were there

It's gonna repeat itself

You have to adjust to it's appearance its not going away you can't forget it's you or instead what happened to you your choice pick one

All the pages are soaked
You wrote them
Then tried to burn them
But your tears put out the fire
That's why you cry
To put out the fire
Put it out
Or let it burn
But do you want to burn

Or be a survivor?

What did I do with it;
what was handed to me without my request,
but a discovery to bring myself to bare; to
perform or be anonymous, a fearful animal;
but first I needed to be fed

What did I do with it;
what was given to me by my demands or else
I would never silence the stark selfishness of
my needs, yes to be angry because I was birthed
without permission, so  tend to me now

What did I do with it;
it was at this point that my life was fully in order;
I was never late, never a disappointment though I
could annoy a dog; a baby; an easy life, I was loved

What did I do with it;
a disturbance, I was to wait my turn, another
baby with the same rapport with my creator;
another outrage, within my soul I learned that
nothing happened with my permission

What did I do with it;
I said a word, then walked with it alongside a
window; looking out, the fact that poor people
existed or that my dog wouldn’t live forever was
not in the picture I thought was real

What did I do with it;
the sound of black bean mambo; no green egg  
could undo what was cooking in the living room  
as the dancing man was too happy to concern
himself with the  loss of his country

What did I do with it;
how can you lose something so vital; to have
in your own image the worlds fears and anger;
the migration of  the heart followed by feet that
only moved to a poor man’s trumpet?

What did I do with it;
you can’t live in someone else’s past; the same
blood flows but the stones move the water in
different directions; every river goes its own
way no matter the headwaters

What did I do with it;
learning to be a part of the world; not to watch
as the sand does wondering how it will be moved
today; but instead to push my  way forward, and
even in retreat knowing I will return

What did I do with it;
loving freely, easily; learning my lessons, as only
love can teach; making promises that failed to
germinate; hearing promises that one day realized
it was a river too

What did I do with it;
a chilly night, a young man, wanting to believe;
he did; but not the way he was taught; whether
faith or grace, it was for him alone to decide; for
what miracle to believe must he choose?

What did I do with it;
the world has now become a game for those
who wish to play; for others a curse; life, all
it’s dreams, in the face of a beautiful girl; yet
even she cries alone for love that did not last

What did I do with it;
it became a plan, to be an adult, for that is what
the baby needed; he never knew that he would
need love as before but it brushed past him while
he held his children’s future tightly

What did I do with it;
time, a commodity that cannot be sold; only taken
for granted; I saw love glance at me from the ship
passing while I washed ashore; the tide never letting
go, the moon all I will ever know

Just a lot of talk
That’s all I can say
Fill the world up
Fill the air with my ways
Even if they didn’t ask for that from me

Do I have an alternative
Suburban myths say no
Great change means great suffering
A madman’s dream
He only needs a friend to know if it’s possible
Let’s meet at dawn for another try

A lock on the past
And her heart
But not upon mine
She allows me to be free
If then the chance remains
For my return to her side
But what I remember
Is a movie with no end
And a tragedy is how I must live
With love I cannot ignore
And a soul I cannot abandon

I wondered if I could do it
Nothing but water
Sickness from within
Unprepared for the unknown
Day after day
A test of my will
Trying to see something
Something I’ve never seen
Or anyone else

Still I have nightmares
Even as I stand in watch
Each swell sheaths my thoughts
Is it for what I have done
Or what I have seen?
Written in scrolls
Attached to trees of life
Sashed by what divides mind and flesh
Every entry penned is a ritual
Or was it just a moment recorded on my mind?

You thought you left yours behind
But I can see it on the horizon
You didn’t know where to go
So I went there for you
The tears behind my eyes wait
When I reach what you can no longer feel
I will give it a gentle whisper to come home

don't yell at a dry river bed
because it didn't rain
don't yell at a cactus
because it's not a garden
don't yell at a thorn
because you picked a rose
don't yell at someone
because of your opinion

Was your child born to hate mine?
We keep living in the past
Why plant it in a new garden
Will it be the same as the last?

Our mistakes must be paid
We have given them the bill
But let their hearts be debt-free
Because hatred can only ****

Don't run away from me
Don't assume I am the same
I want to know your heart
Will you only point at me in blame?

If you must tell me so
Then I will turn the other cheek
I am only human my friend
I am not the perfection you seek

I am emotion
No matter my wisdom
No matter my age

A tear in every moment
As I have lost my voice
Where once I thought of joy
Now I have a choice
To laugh or cry
In the face of pain
To see the sun
When all I have is rain

I am emotion
No matter my education
No matter my wage

A laugh in every moment
As I find my voice
Where once I thought of sadness
Now I’ve made my choice
To laugh
In the face of pain
To see hope
In the drops of rain

I am emotion
No matter my freedom
No matter my cage

A poem in every moment
As I hear my voice
Where once I thought of nothing
Now I accept my choice
To express my fears
In the face of pain
To see my heart
Dancing in the rain

I never was a good old boy
But I have some friends who are
I never pretend to be something I’m not
But their voices echo next to mine

I think people misunderstand each other
The life they choose doesn’t mean yours is wrong
You can’t know what they are feeling
Or the way the past steered their mind

I can see why you live that way
It’s not me but maybe someday
I do what I have to do and that’s just fine
I can see why you live that way
But right now I have reasons for mine

I’ve looked the long way down a sendero
I like it better when it’s cold outside
The quiet of the distance comforts me
I wonder if it feels warmer inside a blind

I can imagine anything anyway because I do
Walking is the same thing if you take it slow
It’s hard to describe trying to warm your insides
And missing the memories you left behind

I can see why you live that way
It’s not me but maybe someday
I do what I have to do and that’s just fine
I can see why you live that way
But right now I gotta’ live like mine

I love how uncomplicated you can be
when you walk away from considering
what's in it for you; but it's not easy to
to live life day to day like that

The path is clear for you, even though
the emotional toll it takes is exhausting;
it's not that you are there for those who
cry; it's that you are the cry itself

You feel so connected to everyone yet
the loneliness behind the wheel on a
country road is a beautiful sunset that
can only try again the next day

But you allowed hatred to poison your
beautifully rippled pond; the birds all
flew away because you threw rocks at
the reflection of stormy skies

You became a mad mind full of care;
how can you find yourself again, we
want the flowers and the cool breeze
that you were so long ago

I want to complete you my love but you
cannot stop the caring you have for our
world; I love that about you but you chose
to light the wood underneath your feet

I made my choices
They are what they were
Good and bad
I know I meant well
I know I made someone sad

I'm not a mystery
If you want to know
Just ask
I am not ashamed
Not of my past

Why would I want to hide?
Maybe it's because I'm tired
I've said so many things
I've thought even more
I'm bored of the song I sing

Maybe I'm just getting started
It took a life to begin again
I know so much
Is it all holding me back?
I need a lighter touch

Staying close to the night
Time was upside down
My eyes open when it's time
Fatigue once told me
I'm the sentence for your crime

Is the world ready for love
I know my children are
Will it hurt or make them mad?
I wish I knew their path
I'm like any other Dad

I'm a light in a cave
It goes deep
But it's not dangerous
The walls are marked
You don't have to be courageous

I can see myself clearly
It's you who is the mystery
Quiet and calm
What are you on the inside?
What does it say on your palm?

I already said I love you
I'll say it a thousand more times
Will it all wear you down
Will you want to hear another voice
So in mine you won't drown?

How soon will I know
Will the book be long enough
To be worth the last page?
I wonder if that is how you think
Or is it day by day as we age?

I can live with who you are
I won't judge the path you were on
How could I when
I was the one
Standing alone at the end?

There is no will power to summon
It's easy to love what is good
There is no temptation anymore
I know what I have now
It's not like anything before

Guilt, sorrow or obligation are not
love or compatibility; a soul mate
isn't there just to make you happy;
these things cannot tell you where
your true self lies; it is only in the
courage to stand up for yourself
that you will learn to live as the
person you were meant to be

It is wrong to take the gifts of another
under false pretenses; the sooner
you know the better off you will be;
only true understanding opens the
door to your life; once you learn to
live alone, you can begin to share
your life; the decision to share your
life must be made from strength

The decisions of confusion will cause
endless turmoil; know who you are
and then you will know what you can
give; make your decisions knowing
your true self; shed the desires that
others have for your life; it may be
that their wishes come from their
weakness

Always remember the things you've
wanted to be and take them to heart;
that is who you are; find that person;
you are never to old; it is never too late;
find that person; it is inside you because
you remember all your dreams; it is
time to live; find that person, it is you

Let us climb together
Each step representing the difficulties of life
Walking away from the past
And our differences
But as the mountain narrows before us
Creating common ground
Closer to God
Where the air is pure
And the skies are clear
We will share what little we bring
And what we bring is only what we need
Yes
Only our body
And consciousness
Of life
Our life
And we will then come to know the life of each other
For as the mountain narrows before us
We will become human again
And not a race
Or an object
Only spirit
Wisps of humanity
Filling the spaces between words and deeds
Remembering our place
Not of advantage
Or of dependency
But as equals
And yet I hear your cries
Echoing beyond the valley inside our hearts
Where the battle is fought
Some of your friends will not walk with you
It is the same for me
But we will find others taking their place
And we will welcome them
While lamenting those who chose not to join us
But praying for their walk
Hoping that the clouds that pass before us
Are the spirits that have reconsidered their choice
Ready to bond with us
While the morning fog reminds those who remain
There is still time

Would if your past was lost,
would it be a desert; barren
hot and void, but cold at night;
would it be painful regret for
a life no longer recorded or
would it still be the life you
knew to be true?

If if was all gone; all that you
recorded of what you felt;
would you still know to treat
a bearded man on a chopper
the same as a clean shaven
man in an expensive suit?

It’s who we are that matters;
I can’t pretend I’m not one
of you; it’s only how I relate
and what I’ve learned is not
about art, but instead, it was
life itself

What I could say is only in a
way that reminds you; it’s a
way to break the silence if
only for a moment; what I
lost is how I said it but not
how I meant it

There is no story of running
underneath planes as they
departed; there is no story
of swimming beneath a
churning prop; it is only the
life that someone lost that
we endure because we know
who is next

Is there no callousness that
can be welcomed for those
who must live with death
and violence; what we spoke
or painted is for those who
try to live the right way while
we watch those who must
die in a world which we
cannot comprehend

She said, “Your confidence is too much for me
But it is the equal of my desire for you
She said, “I can’t see where I fit into your life”
Why is all or nothing all there is for you?
She said, “I can’t give away what is not whole”
But what we feel tonight is even stronger than you
She said, “You can’t give yourself to someone”
Will you pretend with him what I have with you?
She said, “I’d rather not start what we cannot finish”
So you’d rather wonder than know if I would love you?
She said, “Everything you say is only so you can walk away”
Why does fear make you want me to say I do before I know you?

I thought I'd write you a letter
It's to tell you goodbye, even though we've never met
There are so many things we've shared
You've written about all of them, how could you forget?
Prosaic gravity pulled us together
You know you felt it, but to which lonely globe have you fallen?
The air is not the way you remembered
But what you learned to breathe, was the awakening pollen
I want you to know how I will leave you
Your heart will be half what it was, but I will only take the backside
You thought *** was a gift I wanted
So why did I paint black walls black again when I was on the inside?
You can’t answer that question my love
You felt less than a woman but that was because I was less than a man
The mistake was your beauty
If you had only spoken first seduction would not have been my plan
The pilgrimage you made drove you mad
You reveal your sickness because you are consumed with passion
You cannot avoid me my love
You have to give me everything so that you can be full of reason
I made love to you in the ocean
Everyone could see us but there was nothing we could do
I wanted to terrify you with exhibitionism
But instead it's me who has to live with the salt burned residue
Tell me now that you hate me
I know you do, but remember I only took the wall that is shadowed
You feel as if you cannot give again
But he will see the façade I left and believe the field is unplowed
Never ask me why I am the way I am
You could never explain yourself to me even though you tried
Both of us would rather write about it
Than say things with eyes that will only feel like somebody lied

You can change your life
You just have to begin
Today
Of course, it will take time
Do not dwell on failure
Or mediocrity
It's not a contest
Think instead of today
Then tomorrow
When it becomes today
Do not ask why there is dirt inside a coffee ***
Or how long the drought will last
Don't shout at a cactus because it's not a rose
These things do not matter
And they won't stop you if you will only begin
It is not a matter of comparison
For though what one man can do so can another
But to what degree
And under what condition?
It is only for you to choose to be who you can be
Not what they can be or were
For though we know who was once great
The also knew who was greater than them
And yet they continued on
For they had to live in that way
The way you wish to live
But you must have the courage to begin
To call yourself an artist
Or an athlete
Or a cook
Or a connoisseur
Or a lover of life
And you are
Because you have made that decision
So now go
And learn about your new life
Wake up thinking about it
From now on
But not talking about it
Not right away
Wait until you know you have the will to change your life
And you will know when you are involved
When you want to be a part of it everyday
When the challenge of it means something to you
When you no longer care about failure
But instead you care about creativity
And the love of your new life
And the love of being simple in your new life
Because it need not be sophisticated
Or complex
Or flashy
Or justified
Except to your own heart
For who you have become
Is who you were always meant to be

She likes to go out of her way now
But her heart is still a back-seat driver
She keeps saying I’m the one driving here
You be quiet, I’m the one who’ll steer

I can’t get her to take a rose from my hand
She used to love someone else without any flowers
Now I have to make a promise before a kiss
She’s afraid of the feeling she’s gonna’ miss

Takin’ the long way around love
Takin’ the long way around love
She’d rather climb a tree and pretend
Than stand on the ground and love again

I want to sit by a river with a friend
Forgetting about hard times
Thinking about what’s to come
We used to be excited about a mystery
Now we want to know how the story will end

Takin’ the long way around love
Takin’ the long way around love
She’d rather close the curtains at night
Than let me love her under the moonlight

I don’t know what to believe anymore
And I don’t remember what we believed before
People are dying and killing but that’s nothing new
Something’s different now, that much is true
Everybody wants their rights written down
Every bullet wants to travel to the other side of town
Though candles stand atop burning wax that is poured
The only light that can see is the tip of a sword

Everybody hates them until they need them
Just like lawyers we pay to lie to those that condemn
We never miss a chance to parch another man’s thirst
The easiest thing for us to do is to assume the worst
Go ahead and believe the man you’ve been told about
You pretend you’re a dead head but you’re too afraid to doubt
To say how you feel is to tell everyone you commit to your word
Even if giving your word means you feel the tip of a sword

We forgot about faith because the compass could no longer give
But it wasn’t the book or the man we decided was too good to live
We tried to spiritualize ourselves but forgot what kindness meant
Resisting the nails we ignored scarred hands from where he was sent
Trumpet blasts warned horsemen too afraid to deliver his will
He could not decide between those who save and those who ****
Children who saw death but were told to forgive was all that roared
They grew to know that the only life to live was by the tip of a sword

She said being lonely is better than what time drags along
It reminded me of a conversation from long ago
It ended because nobody would admit they were wrong

All my dreams vanished because I can’t sleep long enough
A mind full of hope is like a sail full of promise
But the wind only laughs when the seas get rough

I thought about jumping
But I started climbing instead
I thought about crying
But that’s not what my heart said
My memories were once in my pocket
Until they tore a hole in the thread

You said it to me but there wasn’t time for it to sink in
I didn’t listen but I hear it now
You hear a voice but an echo tells you how long it’s been

I thought about jumping
But I started climbing instead
I thought about laughing
But not because of what you said
My memories were once in my heart
Until they tore a hole in my head

The flock exploded over my head
Diving down to the water below
What was once an empty gaze
Suddenly became sixty years gone

The candle burns quickly now
So I try to slow my breathe
I do not want flickering shadows
The erosion of light makes me sad

I want to walk in a cemetery
It’s the only way to really see
They have become who they are
They cannot defend themselves

I want decisions without influence
Too much is reserved for youth
What is left in the time I have left
I must make it mean something

I had something I wanted to say
But it just wouldn’t write itself
To see birds flying so easily
It’s only silence that knows humility

I wonder if someone would listen in
If only there was another line
They could hear the sound of my voice
And tell me why I cry when I pray

Do not speak ill of me because I did not fall in love with you
Just because we touched

Your worth is not my approval
Your emotions are not my love
Your heart is not that weak

Do not speak ill of me because my life had already spoken
Before we ever met

My past is not who you are
My dreams are now my consciousness
My heart cannot live up to your fantasies

Do not speak ill of me because I was not jealous of another man
Even after you leave

We cannot be healthy without trust
We cannot be healthy without our own life
We cannot be healthy with an imprisoned heart

Before I go on or begin or continue
I thought to remind you; I’m still that
old car; once shiny new in the showroom;
the one you once admired but now I’ve
faded a bit or maybe a lot; I don’t mind the
dents so much anymore because I know
it’s at least a sign of honesty because it
is all there and still I know how good it
can be

All the words are here, waiting on a
feeling describing how the world stole
what you were born with along with
what was learned but lost on the way;
You know what happened but for some
reason the mark you left on us all was
not to your liking; maybe it’s because
you think we either don’t remember
you or instead remember you but wish
to forget

There’s not a tree in the forest that
hasn’t felt the terror of lightening above
or the heat of a fire below or the cut
of a blade within; but that is the life;
shedding, healing, growing; making
shadows and shelter for the birds
who understand its purpose; capturing
the breezes that blow for those
who wonder about such things

But you only see what shallow minds
value and not what nature allows
you to be; your dreams bring alive
what is inside and it is not your
flaws that make birds and squirrels
gather and live by your gifts; it is
not the scar they leave behind that
judges your worth; it is not their passage
through your life that ends yours

You felt like a memory; a gulch once proud
but now abandoned by the rain; used
by those who once needed you so badly;
but it is what you did for them that matters
and that is who you are even if someone
thinks of you as a wistful promise of what
once was

What can one say against you that they
do not stand accused; what good can one
do that you have not already done; what
can anyone compare to what you have
sacrificed knowing the day would come
when the world would try to separate itself
from you because superficiality is what
is served in high places while wisdom and
dignity is cast aside; there is nothing that
can compare to you; nothing, except what
lives in a forest; beautiful, forever, you

Some things can't ever be replaced
A broken glass once held the water
But the water is still inside me
I’m just waiting for the spear to remind me

It’s not a bluff to get mad at somebody
They know how you felt
They may feel lucky to be alive still
As you showed them the strength of your will

What’s all this about hating a stranger
I need more than the gossip
If you loved me once I felt it
That’s the only way true anger will fit

But don’t get me wrong my friend
A bully doesn’t have to notice me
I can’t say God bless him
Even if God says ignore the victim

How can you ever feel lonely inside me
I know how to love you
But you have to let me hurt you too
The two sides of love is nothing new

I’m not walking the streets crying about it
But I did just one night
The glass broke while the water could only swear
That's when I noticed the cupboard was bare

Sometimes I think I lived better as a child
I knew how to live for the day
I wasn’t afraid to be the wild one
An angel’s wings swept my worries away

Hello girl with the tilt eyed black hat
I just wanted to know if you like me like that
I don’t want to put you on the spot
But I’ve sent enough hints for the other shoe to drop

You need to know me like I know myself
So unsure of how I can please you
But the face you see may seem too sure
Believe me my love only my doubts are true

This is no dream and the sounds I make are real
In between the times your heart I would steal
And now when caution is killing the one I own
I can only say loving you is not why I am alone

ake the time if you can
Pretend that you are wrong
Release it inside yourself
But first, choose a flower
The bees will come later

Don’t abandon your morals
You’re here to rearrange them
It’s not an astrological profile
Or even coloring your hair
It always grows back anyway

Think of impermanence
How little actually ever is
Only love is untainted
By politics or who you are
It is perception that corrupts

There are only a few
Our parents and children
Everyone else is conditional
Too vulnerable for more
Still we believe in forever

The mind is loaded first
The will becomes the decision
It is you pain that must die
Fed by the anger of  others
Free speech lights the match

But that is not intellectual
It is the instinct of a follower
And when he finally says yes
The rhapsody of religious revival
Becomes the darkness in his heart

You must stop studying the map
There is a form to life from birth
Whether culture or a weak father
You cling to it indiscriminately
Until you discard the point of being

Think about your enemy
It may be you’ve never met them
You only know what someone said
Was it really what they have chosen
Or the context of their turmoil?

There is always a consequence
You have to decide how to live
Is it better to have nightmares
Or sleep soundly with ignorance
The songs chorus can’t help you

To live without classification
Is to think without influence
But the desire to cling tightly
To your past and your mistakes
Is to trade salvation for mortality

She can’t love like she did before
Something took that part of her away
All that’s left is barely alive, but
It's your heart that beats every day

You can’t get around it
That’s not how it’s gonna be
You said you could only love once
But I’m saying God will set you free

Don’t go where there’s no tomorrow
Don’t go there don’t go there
The sun will always wait for you
And I’m gonna’ be waiting too

There shouldn’t be anything
Between my heart and you
If there is I’ll on walk around it
And tell you what I know is true

I hope the roots aren’t too deep
You planted a tree without any shade
I know you’re worth saving sweet girl
The debt you owe's already been paid

Don’t go where there’s no tomorrow
Don’t go there don’t go there
The sun will always wait for you
And I’m gonna’ be waiting too

You know we want you back
Don’t go there my love
The love you left behind
Is only what sorrow's made of

It’s gonna’ take more than a man
To fill the hole inside your heart
I’ve been listening to you cry
I’m asking the Lord to let me try

Don’t go where there’s no tomorrow
Don’t go there don’t go there
The sun will always wait for you
And I’m gonna’ be waiting too

Empty cans dotted his mind
as his toes checked the dirt below
He could hear them rattle;
once full, now something to throw
There is no warranty,
a time passed is too late for change
It’s not worth a tin roof,
what you learned only seems strange
But I can’t throw them away,
it’s not so easy when you lose a friend
I’m willing to go further;
a path of twenty years can never end
I wish I had a cause;
like the one we had before you left
Once opened it is no more,
the realization an unwelcome guest
I stared at the wood;
once a tree, now the ghost of a town
It was an oil field,
promise, now a picture I took down
Every shiny object conspires,
how sad it must feel to an old man
But new is not forgiveness;
only the path away from an empty can

Live
right in front of
You
shu
du
ku
Like a 747 lifting the air beneath your body
volume
an ***** with one key that sounds like 88
though you didn't know anything about the count itself
It was the sense that everything was there
And you cried as if everyone
you
shu
du
ku
knew
had died
you started pointing at each echo
there
did you see it?
you exclaimed
exclaimed
to no one except those you wanted to join you
they would know
they saw it
Like
Youshuduku
That wasn't your name when you arrived
They found you anyway
You didn't know they were looking
it was an arrangement of your feelings
They weren't afraid of the new pattern
what did they have to lose?
It's not as if they considered losing at all
but what if they had?
you see
it doesn't really matter does it?
it's your party now anyway
whether you steal the *****
or the feeling in the air
or stick a brush into a goo of the red stickiness
do it
then trace the path all the way back on your face
don't bother to leave
the doors have no knobs
there is no need for a lock
you haven't decided to leave anyway
because your body is a new kind of a
a new kind of a
kind of a
of a
a
rhythm

In your drifting heart
Loneliness and sadness paddle together
You no longer hear
What you were once told
Can you accept a goodbye before a hello?

And yet
You were lonely
With a companion
But hope was for him only
Can you accept an ending before a beginning?

You were trapped
Within the limits
Of his love
And his habits
Can you accept fate before living?

But now you are free
And yet
There is something
You will not forget
Can you accept pain before you are healed?

Instead
Like a shadow
That lives at night
You allow it to follow
Can you accept heartache before love?

Blocking the light
That flickers in the distance
The light of your true self
Free of all resistance
Can you accept rejection before acceptance?

If you are alone
You are in my thoughts
If you are sad
You are in my heart
If you are hurt
You have my tears
And if you are blessed
Then say a prayer for me
For I too have suffered these things
And if you do pray for me
Then I would have you in my life
And because of that
I will not be alone
I will not be sad
I will not be hurt
I will be blessed
As will you

It is you I want to know

Silent belief, expunged pride, learning;
knowing of duty inside a prayer to what
guides your conscience towards understanding

Apart from convention and vicarious pleasure;
dogged in faith, quietly accepting of your
anonymity

Failing at what man would measure
to be worthy; excelling at making
children feel safe

Seeking the heart and not the law;
the empathetic moment before it happens
to you; the knowledge that each of us
has a story

Never breaching the peace,
making peace, instinctively; never
losing sight of what is right

Passing through this life, loving
what you live with; nature, laughter,
honesty

Accepting different paths because
of different beginnings, never too sure
but caring for another man’s silent
belief

It is you I want to know

But first
I consulted Kings lying beneath a sword
Uneasy at high noon!
By what duty
did they rule, benevolence or fear
Weakness or strength!
Did he view
his kingdom from a moving window
Square it away!
Or did they
walk by in quiet fealty as in looking at a lion
King of the forest!
The single despot
once held by all in stormy contempt
Commit them all to the deep!
The power vested
in the crown though this was their glory
Long live the King!
He thought
of a Republic but could not agree
Freedom Freedom!
Each man a King
as if he himself had grown additional limbs
We the people!
But could any man
born in idealist fervor remain as such
The invisible hand!
The merest taste
of an apple would remove his conscience
The lusting snake!
How tenuous
it would be to honor temptation so easily
Save me Lord!
And with so many
is sin best served in the heart of one man?
For I am Solomon!
Leaving behind
his favorite toy was when the moment arrived
A man haunted!
He resisted flight
though he was promised eternal life
An heirs lives forever!
The memory
of his name was all that was required
His name was his fathers!
More detective
than ruler he mastered prophecy
A spy in their midst!
He preferred
the absence of a single guiding principle
Except for his own amibiton!
For there was
none that another man would not dispute
The division gives purpose!
He knew freedom
resided in the illusion of belief in the absurd
A big lie is better than small!
Or in the
belief that the cross meant him no harm
We have lived in hell already!
For he was Caesar
and what was his was his as commanded
He received the blessing!
The thin thread
of discord were yellow black and white
And so began man’s discontent!
The braid
created more questions than answers
Borders of sand!
It was to be
richer poorer and everything in between
What do I care!
Social relationships
that accepted neither dominance or submission
Anarchy!
Social relationships
that demanded status and subservience
Royalty!
He believed
opulence fostered his acceptance by the people
The splendor!
For all his riches
so much remained for the common man
Incentive and reward!
It was the hope
of holes dug and steel forged by ideas
Entrepreneurs and prospectors!
His protection
was that no man could hoard their life
They were free!
But most of all
the trust he lacked was the same as theirs
The sword falls on every man!
The uneasy alliance,
two to collude or millions for a revolution
Trust or madness!
The first shot
is the hardest and their glory weighed upon them
Into the breach!
Mistrust of one another
was the first creation of law and order
No man is without sin!
For though anarchy
is the absence of power it is fear that crowns
Fear of each other!
The more layers
of gold upon his throne the more pronounced his mercies
The glory of a pardon!
Speech upon speech
to protect to feed to represent before God
I will be your savior!
For it was
their awe of him that made him King
They were peasants!
Who would speak
such as this except a man with enough belief
It was his gift!
And belief
was all that was required because of their doubt
Sincerity greater than truth!
Their awe
knew of nothing that a noble could conceive
For they believed!
It was the presence
of wonder as to what he was thinking
The stared at his face!
All that would
be required was to believe in his decisions
He was descended from the Gods!
For they knew
there was nothing they could do except beg
He would feed them!
And though they
hated him their fears drew relief from him
He was assurance!
He thought it best
to treat them like animals in the forest
To tame lions!
For nature harbors
no ego no memory no remorse no pride
Man’s dominion!
Only survival instincts
which he destroyed by providing for all
Their content was bought!
But where he
was wrong was that men were not animals
No they are Gods!
Providing for all
does not dig up seeds before they germinate
The will build towers to God!
For that is only
the thought of men in a tower who believe
Detachment and delusion!
And though
they knew they were the wisest of them all
For who else knew of these things!
He knew that
they failed because they were not animals
They had minds!
No, they were not
instead they were a garden full of hubris
The ego!
And to care
so much while wearing a crown is a lie
Survival is all that matters!
For the crown
only lives as long as a noble is pacified
Give them title!
And a noble
lives only as long as a poor man is pacified
Give them bread!
But a poor man
will not be pacified by eating cake or beans
Give me more!
He will not die
because it is his destiny to be so unfortunate
I am a man!
No, he will not
so what King would rule knowing any of this
The King is dead!
For it has all
been tried before, caring too much
Only for himself!
Caring so much
that freedom must be taken away for equality
Mindless egalitarianism!
Caring so much
that what a man may conceive is a threat to the crown
There greatest threat is knowledge!
Caring so much
that a possession must be taken for the good of all
For all possession is wealth!
But who decides
and who gives and who receives and who doesn't
Only the King!
Yes, it has all been tried
before and the King had no answer for him
That is why he is dead!
He knew all
of this and that is why he does not want to be King
That is why he is dead!
He does not
want to be King but there will always be someone
Wealth is his possession!
And that
is what we have now, someone not something
Save us from the evil doers!
For something
is a guiding light, a principle which we all know
Save us from the evil doers!
But someone
is nothing except what we believe them to be
They must believe in someone!
And our belief
is what someone must germinate in our garden
A lamb rise if you believe!

I need
to know that to defend the indefensible
is not to turn your back on your race
or what is right

I need
to know that to assume inerrancy
is to make yourself God
above all light

I need
to know that our hearts are the same
as are the fears we harbor inside
for our children at night

I need
to know that those whom we accuse
and carry a badge or a sign
are black and white

I need
to know that fear is not always evil
that a mistake is not intent
but in whose sight?

I need
to know that we must come together
for our world has been weakened
by the battle we fight

Inherit the truth
  whatever it may be
For though men ****
  in the name that is he
It will never **** that is he
  for if he that is exists
Then the history of man's rise
  with clinched fists
Is irrelevant to he that is
  because he that is lives
In the believing heart
  that is and only gives
No matter the province of Caesar
  holding his grudge
On earth not in heaven
  where he that is may judge
Against those who reject
  instead of accept
The truth that was written
  by men who wept
But not in sorrow
  but instead with joy
For the truth as revealed
  was not a fire to destroy
But a fire burning within
  from breathing air whole
Instead of mother water
  for he was a fisher of souls
Yet you nibble at the lure
  of world *******
A tragic trail of human evil
  swallowing mountains
Peace, fishes and loaves
  children, animals and truth
Skin different than your own
  things taught to our youth
Until questions of conscience
  from the mouths who suffer
Swallowing instead swords
  than injure another
Judging only themselves
  knowing that to live right
No matter time passing
  is well pleased in his sight
For what treasury of satisfaction
  can be measured once
Or eternal like the stars
  under which a mariner hunts
For his own nature and image
  before his God
And why his fears of creation
  stain the holy sod
Yet the word lays before you
  pure as new
The sum of what God has placed
  inside his shoe
You see his strength of belief
  hidden inside his fear
As are yours of differences
  forever far and near
Yet what is the still night
  and the quiet moon
Is it not the honor of worship
  reserved for high noon
Along with the mid of night
  for it is he of the life he gave
And only you who obeys the soul
  that he would save
For in this life whether he is risen
  in books or by the spirit
It is not yours to bring death
  upon the path you did not inherit

you like living close
to dangerous places
like my heart
but not your own
saying so doesn’t make it true
it just seems that way to me

i don’t mind standing close
to a heart that’s on fire
but i won’t do it
unless you’re willing
to burn for me too

you’re a desert looking for water
the last page looking for a new book
the ocean can’t be filled by the past
because it already is
the sea is as old as the sand
and as young as the rain
that’s the way we live
we are who we are
but inside is where we change

you’re looking for me
or something like that
you said so once
your voice felt so far away

i’m not just yesterday
i’m also the day after today
but not just another tomorrow
it’s up to you

forget the days we once knew
that’s where you find sorrow
i know how it feels
that’s the only thing i know to be true